860 



METABOLISM. 



In close relation to the second purpose, the betterment of the condition 

 of the cells, stands the question as to the conditions favoring the deposi- 

 tion of flesh in the body, which is closely associated with the question as 

 to the conditions of fattening the body. In this connection it must be 

 remembered in the first place that all fattening presupposes an overfeed- 

 ing, i.e., a supply of foodstuffs which is greater than that catabolized in 

 the same time. 



In carnivora a flesh deposition may take place on the exclusive feeding 

 with meat. This is not generally large in porportion to the quantity of 

 protein catabolized. In man and herbivora, who cannot cover their 

 calorific needs by protein alone, this is not possible, and the question as 

 to the conditions of fattening with a mixed diet is of importance. 



These conditions have also been studied in carnivora, and here, as 

 VOIT has shown, the relation between protein and fat (and carbo- 

 hydrates) is of great importance. If much fat is given in proportion 

 to the protein of the food, as with average quantities of meat with con- 

 siderable addition of fat, then nitrogenous equilibrium is but slowly 

 attained and the daily deposit of flesh, though not large, is quite constant, 

 and may become greater in the course of time. If, on the contrary, 

 much meat besides proportionately little fat is given, then the deposit 

 of protein with increased catabolism is smaller day by day, and nitrog- 

 enous equilibrium is attained in a few days. In spite of the somewhat 

 larger deposit per diem, the total flesh deposit is not considerable in 

 these cases. The following experiment of VOIT may serve as example: 



The greatest absolute deposition of flesh in the body was obtained in 

 these cases with only 500 grams of meat and 250 grams of fat, and even 

 after 32 days nitrogenous equilibrium had not occurred. On feeding 

 with 1800 grams of meat and 250 grams of fat nitrogenous equilibrium 

 was established after seven days; and though the deposition of flesh 

 per day was greater, still the absolute deposit was not one-half as great 

 as in the former case. 



The possibility of a protein fattening in man and animals (dogs, sheep) 

 are shown by the series of experiments of KRUG, BORNSTEIN, SCHREUER, 

 HENNEBERG, PFEIFFER and KALB, 1 and there is no doubt that such a 



1 Krug, Cited by v. Noorden, Lerb. der Path, des Stoffwechsel, 1. Aufl., p. 120; 

 Bornstein, Berl. klin. Wochenschr., 1898, and Pfliiger's Arch.. 83 and 106; Bornstein 



